Brazil's head of state Jair Bolsonaro has by decree eased the gun laws in the South American country. As a result, the President in office since January 1 has fulfilled a key election promise of his "Law and Order" program.
At the televised ceremony in Planalto's presidential palace in Brasília, Bolsonaro said that in order to guarantee the "right to self-defense," as president, he would "use this weapon" - showing his pen.
According to Bolsonaro, the decree allows "good citizens" to acquire weapons more quickly. In the future, Brazilians can buy up to four firearms and keep them at home or at work. "The people want to buy weapons and ammunition and we can not deny it," said Bolsonaro.
So far, citizens in Brazil have had to prove individually why they need a weapon. The right to carry weapons in public places is not dealt with in the decree. Other restrictions remain: gun buyers must demonstrate their psychological ability.
In 2017, there were almost 64,000 murders
In Latin America's largest country, nearly 64,000 murders were registered in 2017. This makes Brazil one of the most dangerous countries outside a war zone worldwide. For comparison, in Germany there were last year about 730 homicides.
Bolsonaro's loosening of gun laws could, critics say, further fuel violent crime. Most recently, 61 percent of Brazilians had spoken in a poll against a liberalization of weapons legislation.
Bolsonaro won the presidential ballot in Brazil last October. The 63-year-old candidate of the Social Liberal Party (PSL) won over his adversary Fernando Haddad from the Left Labor Party (PT).